Eating My Way Through Saigon

SAIGON/HO CHI MINH CITY
Good morning from Vietnam. OK, so it's actually Sunday afternoon, but I felt the urge to say, GOOOD MORNING Vietnam. There. That felt good.

So I've spent three full days in this humid, South Asian metropolis and all I can say is, it is HOT. And not in a hip, Paris Hilton way. Saigon/HCMC is in the 90s and humid. I've basically been walking around the city and trying not to faint in front of the locals. This is a bustling city that wakes up pretty much at 6 a.m. and plays hard until way after midnight. Except today, on Sunday, when it's somewhat more quiet.

I've discovered that there aren't very many sights in this city, give a few old French villas and museums. What everyone is here for is the cheap food. So that's all I've been doing the last few days, eating from morning to night. I wish I could post some of the photos I've taken so far, but I'm in this Internet cafe where I swear they have a dial up connectiong. It's just. So. Slow.

So for now, you have to take my word for it when I say the cuisine here is divine. Fresh ingredients, simple sauces, excellent preparations. Dining isn't intimidating because everything is so cheap, so if you order something you didn't expect to get, then you know what? Just order another dish! It's just another dollar!

Tomorrow I'm off to the Mekong Delta so I'll have a couple of days break from this hectic city and will spend some time just drifting along the river. Chao ban! That's goodbye, but also hello, it's like Aloha! :)